July 13, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. EDTToday at 5:00 a.m. EDT
The ongoing Iran war and high U.S. gas prices have some drivers rethinking whether it’s time to give up their gas cars. Although EV sales have plummeted since Trump ended tax credits for them, hybrid vehicle sales have surged.
Calculate how much more you’re spending to fuel your car since the Iran war began, and how much you would be spending if you drove a different vehicle.
Compare your monthly fuel costs
How efficient is your vehicle?
ExcellentCompact cars36 mpgGoodSedans30 mpgAverageCrossovers25 mpgPoorLarge SUVs, trucks20 mpg
On average, gas prices have gone up 37% since the first week of February and electricity prices have gone up 16%.
$149 with a gas car$106 with an EV$93 with a hybridU.S. average
Sources: Gas prices from OPIS, a Dow Jones company, electricity rates from Eco-Movement, part of Dow Jones
Que Walker stopped at a Wawa off the Pennsylvania Turnpike last month, where he refueled while gazing across the pavement at the electric vehicles using the gas station’s eight charging stations. “I don’t even get a full tank anymore,” Walker said. Instead, he spends as much as he’s comfortable at one time, then ends up refueling every few days. “It’s an extra $30 to $45 every week just out the window. I’m sick of it.”
Walker, a carpenter, bought his gas-powered Dodge Charger in January, just before the war began and gas prices soared. If he were shopping now instead, he thinks he’d be looking at EVs. “Electric cars are definitely a good option right now, honestly,” he said. “I like my car. I just hate the gas prices.”
At the same Pennsylvania gas station, Will Coleman watched the numbers tick upward as he pumped gas into one of the cars he fills up as part of his job at a car dealership. “That is a robbery,” he said of the price above $4 a gallon.
For his own part, however, Coleman doesn’t have to worry about gas prices. He drives his mom’s hand-me-down Tesla. “Right now, having it is really a blessing,” he said. “I’m so glad I don’t have a gas car. So glad.”
About this story
Average monthly costs were calculated using a daily driving distance of 31 miles and an efficiency rate of 25 miles per gallon or 3.5 miles per kilowatt hour. Weekly unleaded gas price averages by state are from OPIS, a Dow Jones company and average weekly electricity rates by state are from Eco-Movement, part of Dow Jones. Car icons are from the Noun Project.
